


The New Normal

by Goodnightwife



Series: Tumblr 1,100 Follow Fic Requests [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Mentions of Death, Sad Reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 10:51:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17744540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goodnightwife/pseuds/Goodnightwife
Summary: Reader's father and brother died during Captain America: The Winter Soldier and now has to figure out how to live her life. Tony helps. Clint's a bit of an ass.





	The New Normal

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to my tumblr for the lovely @inlovewithnovels

Lara rode silently in the back of Happy’s car. They were heading to the Avengers compound in upstate New York and, under normal circumstances, this would have been a very exciting event. But things were not normal. Lara wondered if she would ever find “normal” again. Funerals had a way of doing that, especially when the funeral was for one’s own family. Lara’s father and brother had worked for SHIELD and had been two of many deaths caused when HYDRA made their presence known within SHIELD’s ranks. They were her only family since her mother had died when she was only five years old.

When Maria Hill had contacted Lara, she knew immediately that something was very wrong. No one from SHIELD had ever contacted Lara before, for any reason. She felt like a wife of a soldier must feel when that knock comes to the door and a uniform and a priest stands on her porch. When she saw the caller ID, Lara knew she was alone in the world. What she didn’t know was why they were taking her upstate. She didn’t know what her father did for SHIELD beyond being a scientist and her brother was a security guard, or so she thought. Happy gave no real explanation when he picked her up after the funeral, save that she was ordered to come with him.

When they arrived at the compound, she was amazed at the pomp and circumstance. Uniformed men lined the drive where Happy parked, and when her door was opened, they all saluted. Happy appeared at her elbow and gently moved her into the building. A short line of three Avengers awaited her inside. She knew them only from seeing them on the news, except for Tony Stark, he had worked with her father and they had met on a few occasions. Still in shock from grief, Lara simply stood in front of them and waited for an explanation.

“Lara,” Tony stepped in front of her and pulled her into his arms. “I’m so so sorry.” Lara simply stood in his arms. If she wrapped her arms around him like she wanted, she might not let go. She had been enduring the well-wishers all day long and she was about done with sympathy, she just wanted to be alone.

“Why am I here?” she finally got out against Tony’s shoulder. He gently released her and stepped back.

“For protection.” he said. Behind him, Natasha and the archer guy (what was his name?) nodded.

“If you will come with us, we can explain,” Natasha said softly. Lara nodded and followed as they led her to a living area with four couches facing each other in a square with a low coffee table in the middle. The table to spread with little sandwiches, crackers and cheese, veggies, fruit, and coffee. “Are you hungry?” Natasha asked.

“Not right now, thank you,” Lara replied, sitting down on the edge of one of the soft couches. Eating hadn’t been a priority for a couple of days now and even though she couldn’t remember the last time she ate, Lara didn’t give the food another thought. She simply waited for the explanation.

“First off, please know that we are so sorry for your loss. The loss of your father and brother will be felt throughout SHIELD.” Natasha started. Lara nodded her thanks. “Do you know what they did for SHIELD?” Lara shook her head no.

“Well,” Tony started as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “Your father was a scientist, I’m sure you know that much. But it’s what he was working on that’s so important. I can’t tell you everything but lets just say he was working in genetics and was very close to a breakthrough when… everything happened.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Lara asked, her face still blank and numb.

“We are concerned about any enemies your father may have made along the way, HYDRA knows what your father was working on. We are worried that HYDRA might come after you, thinking your father shared his research with you.” Natasha explained.

“He didn’t. I work in the private sector and not in genetics.” Lara replied. An engineer herself, her focus was on advanced robotics for the replacement of lost limbs.

“We know that but we still believe that you are a target, so until the threat can be assessed and taken care of, we would like to invite you to remain here.” Natasha said.

“Invite?” Lara raised an eyebrow. “I was ordered here.”

“Happy may have embellished a little bit,” Tony replied with a wry grin. “But the invitation is legitimate. We three are asking you to stay here for a while. You can continue your work, I think you will find the labs up to snuff.”

“Can I think about it for a little while?” Lara asked. She understood the threat that HYDRA posed and being their next target caused her pause. But surrounded by Tony, Natasha, and the archer (What WAS his name?), Lara couldn’t think. “May I see the lab please?”

“Of course,” Tony stood and led her away but not quite fast enough to avoid overhearing the archer’s comment to Natasha.

“She’s not even grateful that we’re trying to help. What’s the point of this?”

“Shut up, Clint. She’s grieving.”

Clint, that was his name. Lara filed that away in the back of her mind while trying to erase his painful words. She did appreciate their help, even if her face couldn’t show it right now. She was almost shaking with the effort she was exerting to not have a major breakdown right in the hallway. All she wanted to do was curl up and cry but she made herself put one foot in front of the other and follow Tony to the lab. At least there maybe she could think.

The lab was fully stocked and JARVIS was the most impressive AI Lara had ever seen. Once in the lab, Tony left her alone to check to make sure her room was ready if she wanted to rest, making no mention again of her staying there. Lara wondered around the lab until she ended up in front of one of the huge windows. Leaning her forehead against the cool glass, she took a deep breath. Stay here and continue working in a protected environment or go home and take her chances? She had no one to call to ask their opinion and no one to call if she needed help. Logically, until things settled down a little bit, it made sense to stay put. And Lara knew enough about Tony Stark to know that once his mind was set on something, he was pretty stubborn about it.

Lara pooled her strength once more and walked back into the living area. Tony was there with Natasha and Archer Guy/Clint. They stopped talking and looked at her.

“You’re right.” Lara started softly. “It makes sense for me to stay here until things blow over and just so you don’t think I’m not grateful,” Lara looked directly at Clint. “Thank you for bringing me here and volunteering to keep me safe. I hope that one day I can pay you back for the help you’re giving me.”

Tony smiled and began filling a plate with sandwiches and fruit. Natasha went to tell Happy that Lara was staying. Clint just looked at his shoes, slightly ashamed at being caught. With a full plate, Tony grabbed the thermos of coffee, and ushered Lara to her room to rest, leaving her there with the food.. It was a bright, comfortable room with a large bed and a fluffy couch and a private bathroom. Lara found the first drawer of a tall chest of drawers was stocked with clean Stark Industries t-shirts and sweatpants. She pulled out one of each, found a fully stocked shower in the bathroom and attempted to wash the funeral off of her skin.

Once clean and dressed, she sat down at a small table where Tony had left the food and coffee. The food tasted surprisingly good and she ate nearly all of it, washing it down with the coffee. With her stomach full, the last few days began to sink in and when Lara laid in bed, sleep took over quickly.

The first few days were spent much in the same pattern. Eat, sleep, eat, sleep. Without being able to go anywhere, Lara had a hard time finding the energy to stay out of bed for very long. Nat had tried to befriend her and Clint even tried to apologize and make friendly, but Lara didn’t have any energy for even those small conversations. Even when Happy brought in two huge suitcases of her things from her apartment, she didn’t budge from the bed. She didn’t even ask how Happy had gotten into her apartment and knew which things she wanted.

After four days of this, Lara was laying in the bed, staring at the wall when the mattress behind her dipped under someone’s weight. She jumped at the intrusion but calmed down when she heard Tony’s voice behind her head on the pillow.

“You know,” he started conversationally, draping his arm over her waist. “This is a pretty great room but you are allowed to leave it. Besides, I need your expertise on a project I’m working on.”

“Maybe later, Tony.” Lara mumbled, burrowing herself deeper into the covers. Tony sighed but left her alone.

Three hours later, her door opened and closed but no one came in. Lara sighed and guessed whoever it was decided to leave her alone. A quiet beep sounded from the floor and Lara looked over the edge of the mattress to see a small robot similar to a Roomba but it had a small tray holding a sliced apple. Just as Lara reached down to take a slice, the robot shuttered, shaking the tray and dumping the apple slices onto the floor, a small waft of smoke coming out of the back of the robot. Lara frowned and crawled out of bed and sat on the floor. She flipped the robot over to see how to pop off the casing and see the inside. She needed tools. Mumbling to herself about the possible mechanics of the robot and the possible problems, she stood and walked to her door, robot in hand.

She opened the door to find Tony standing on the other side.

“Shower, food, lab. In that order please.” Tony said with a smirk, taking the robot from Lara’s hands. She scowled at him and closed the door. Heading to the bathroom to shower, Lara’s mind began whirling with all the possibilities with that little robot. Once showered and dressed in clean clothes from one of her suitcases, Lara found Tony in the kitchen who sat her down at the counter and put a plate of food in front of her. Some casserole that Clint’s wife made. Lara decided that she needed to meet this magician, it was the best thing she had ever eaten. After she practically licked the plate clean, Tony led her to the lab where he had set up multiple tables and separated the lab into two sections, hers and his. He had basically moved her lab from work into the compound.

Lara wrapped her arms around his neck in a quick but heartfelt hug. “Normal” was going to take it’s precious time coming back, but until then, this was okay too. On each table, Tony had put a box of tissues and Lara used them often. But as she worked, her emotions began to level out and while grief still hung around her neck like a scarf, it was no longer strangling her. After a couple of months working with Tony and the Avengers, it was clear to Lara that she was not going back to the private sector.


End file.
